Urban Meyer's Unfortunate Return To College Football
In a move that is questionable at best, FOX recently announced that Urban Meyer - former head coach turned analyst - will return to the Big Noon Kickoff pregame show this fall.
When it comes to college football, few can compare with Urban Meyer's success in terms of wins and losses. Outside of that, Meyer has routinely proven himself to be a controversial figure when it comes to ethics, honesty and integrity.
During his time with Florida, Meyer was subjected to a three-month investigation that uncovered preferential treatment given to certain players with what he referred to as the "circle of trust." Being part of this circle meant that Meyer would reportedly provide preferential treatment to you as a player - like hiding positive drug tests from the public.
Meyer's trouble continued during his time as head coach at Ohio State. In 2018, Meyer was placed on administrative leave after reports surfaced that he knew about spousal abuse allegations against assistant coach Zach Smith. Meyer had indicated that he was unaware of the domestic violence issues between Zach Smith and his wife, though text messages later revealed that to be a lie.
If Urban Meyer was hoping to improve his image in the NFL, he failed miserably.
Meyer's conduct with the Jacksonville Jaguars would ultimately lead to a lawsuit from one of his own players, alleging workplace violence, assault and battery. The lawsuit, filed in the 4th Judicial Circuit Court in Duval County, alleges Meyer's conduct went far beyond verbal abuse, and that the former head coach "violated Florida civil, criminal, and employment law concerning assault, battery, and workplace violence in furtherance of an employer's interests."
In one particular incident, Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo recalled being approached by Meyer during practice.
“I’m in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back,” Lambo said. “Urban Meyer, while I’m in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, ‘Hey Dips--t, make your f--king kicks!’ And kicks me in the leg.”
During his tumultuous time in Jacksonville, Meyer also had to spend time at the podium explaining away other controversies - like why he was caught in a bar getting close with someone who isn't his wife. After the Jaguars played in Cincinnati for Thursday night football, Meyer decided to stick around in the great state of Ohio rather than travelling back to Florida with his team.
This was the result:
There's no question that Urban Meyer's football IQ elite, but so is his ability to abuse and destroy the trust of those closest to him. Though Meyer is clearly trying to move on from his failed head coaching experiment in Jacksonville, it's clear that his toxic impact on the franchise fits a pattern that has been evident throughout his entire career.
Unfortunately, none of that will prevent him from gracing your television set this fall for Big Noon Kickoff on FOX.
